1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a breathing aid which can be used on patients whose spontaneous respiration is absent or insufficient, whether they are under artificial respiration or not.
2. Description of Related Art
Different devices are known, such as masks, probes or oral, nasal, endotracheal, tracheotomic cannulae for providing the junction between the artificial respiration and/or anaesthetic appliance and the breathing system of a patient. Such devices, essentially in the form of tubes, depending on the case, may comprise immobilization means such as lugs or collars close to the proximal end for maintaining them on the mouth or nose of the patient, or else inflatable balloons close to the distal end for maintaining them in the trachea by friction.
Known devices have considerable drawbacks. Thus, for example, when a tube of known type is disconnected from the artificial breathing device and when the patient requires oxygen enriched air, it is necessary to introduce into said tube a probe connected to a source of oxygen. Furthermore, in the case of insufficient spontaneous respiration, the patient must necessarily remain connected to the breathing appliance until his spontaneous respiration is completely restored.
Thus, to overcome such drawbacks, breathing aids have already been proposed which, in addition to the main channel formed by the tube, comprise at least an auxiliary channel, formed for example in the wall of said tube, for injecting a breathable gas jet (oxygen, air or air-oxygen mixture) for ventilating the patient, this auxiliary channel opening into the main channel close to the distal end thereof.
However, such breathing aids with auxiliary breathable gas injection channels have the major drawback that said breathable gas jet strikes the mucous membrane directly, so that it is traumatized.